Pivotal mounting



Nov. 7,1944. G. H. KENDALL ET AL PIVO'I'AL MOUNTING Filed 0G13. 11, 1943 i 3 Sheets-Sheet l 24.. 2a sa? 6 29 17 'f-'f/w 12 i6 Elm A se,

im Eni! l` Nov. 7,

G. Hn KENDALL frm. 2,362,012

` PIV-OTAL MOUNTING 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed ocx. 11', 1943 NOV. 7, 1944- G. H. KENDALL. ET Al. 2,362,012

PIVOTAL MOUNTING Filed oct. 11. 1943 s sheets-sheet s Patented Nov. 7, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIVOTAL MOUNTING George H. Kendall,

Darien, Conn.,

Samuel Oxhandler, Flushing, N. Y., and Herbert W. Brooks, West Haven, Sargent & Company, New Haven, Conn., a cor- Y poration of Connecticut Conn., assignors to Application October 11, 1943, Serial No. 505,864

4 Claims.

` be readily removable from the mounting or support when desired, such, for example, as a gun mounting in which the supporting frame itself may be rotatably or swingably mounted in addition to the pivotal support for the gun on the support.

In mounting such elements it is essential that they be elevated or swung pivotally about a horizontal axis or a vertical axis, or both, and also desirable that they be maintained iirmly in position in the suDlJOrt at all times. Moreover, it is advantageous to provide a mounting for the element so arranged that the latter may be readily removed when desired although locked iirmlyI among others and, to that end, We employ supporting members consisting of spaced members or of a ply construction such that the locking or retaining mechanism may be mounted between these members to be protected thereby against damage and at the same time arranged for the simultaneous release of the locking mechanism upon both sides at the saine time, so that both trunnions attached to the supported element may vbe simultaneously removed from their mounted positions.

One object` of the invention is the provision of a new and improved pivotal mounting for posts, columns, guns, or other members which are designed to be pivotally carried upon spaced supports or standards.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved mounting of the character described which shall have qualities of extreme rigidity and at the same time be of relatively ligh Weight. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of a support or mounting comprising spaced standards having aligned slots therein to receive trunnions or the like attached to the element to be supported and improved means for locking the trunnions in place.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a pivotal mounting as set forth in the preceding paragraph, in which the locking means for the trunnions will be readily releasable and when released will be retained in inoperative position to enable the trunnions to be removed from their sockets or slots without further attention on the part of the operator.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To these and other ends, the invention relates to the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a pivotal mounting structure embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the locking or latch means in another position;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 4 and 5 but showing a further position of the parts;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the mounting taken through the trunnions;

Fig. 8 is a side elevational View of one of the fulcrum studs employed n our improved mounting; and

Fig. 9 is an end View of the stud.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of our invention, we have shown at Ill a diagrammatic illustration of a post, column, or other element to be pivotally supported, at each side of which is secured a trunnion Il by means of which the element may be pivotally supported.

The frame of the supporting or mounting member, as herein illustrated, comprises a pair of U-shaped members I2 and I3, which members are respectively provided with base portions I4 and I5 and upstanding leg portions I6 and Il. From Fig. 2 it will be observed that the base portions of the supports are secured atly against each other and preferably are bonded together by brazing, silver soldering, or some surface-penetrating type of bonding. As shown, the base portion I5 is slightly shorter than the portion I4 so that the legs I6, secured to the latter, embrace the leg portions II, and each leg portion I6 is slightly spaced outwardly from the leg portions I'I, which latter are spaced from each other to a suiiicient extent to receive the element Ill therebetween. Thus, at each side of the base of the mounting, there is provided a standard comprisa nut 2U to secure the support in place.

Each of the members i6 and Il is provided with a slot 2l to receive the trunnions H, the slots in each of these members being in registering alignment and opening through the upper portions of the legs I6 and Il as shown at 22 for reception of the trunnions.

Pivotally mounted between each pair of elements i3 and Il is a yoke 23 which depends freely from its pivot 2li above the seat of the trunnion in the slot 2l. A spring 25, also supported between the leg portions I6 and i1, bears against one side of the yoke 23, which spring is bent to form a recess 26 adapted to receive a lug 21 on the yoke 23 when the yoke is in open position as shown in Fig. 5. This is the position occupied by the yoke when the element has been removed therefrom and when the parts are ready ,to again receive the element so that the yoke will be releasably held in this position without any attention on the part of the operator'.

`Also, pivoted at 28 to each of thel standards (consisting of the elements I6 kand Il) is a lever 23 having an varm 23e which is provided with a latch or catch portion 33 designed to engage the longer end of the yoke 23 as shown in Fig. 1 and to latch this yoke in its closed position as shown in this figure. t mayl also be noted that the surface of the latch 33, whichengages the yoke, is slightly inclined so that` it will tend to cam the yoke 2 3 in aV clockwise direction about its pivot when the latch is forced upwardly, and thus holds the trunnion. Il tightly between the outer or shorter leg of the yoke 23 and the rear face of the slots 2l. A spring 3l is mounted below the arm 9a tourge the latter upwardly and thus urge the latch 30 in close engagement with the longer end of the yoke member,

The arm 29a is also provided with a nose portion 33 which is adapted at ltimes to be engaged kby teeth 34 and 35 ona pawl 33 pivoted at 31 between the elements I6 and Il of the standards, this pawl being urged toward the arm 29aL by a spring 38.

It will be apparent that, when the element lil is in operative position in the mounting as shown in Fig. l, it can only be removed by swinging the lever 23 in a clockwise direction about its pivot 23m order to release the latch surface 33 from engagement with the longer depending end of the yoke 23, and it will also be understood that the yoke 23, lever 29, pawl 35, andassociated parts, are duplicated at each side of the mounting between the elements i6 and il. yInorder that the release of both trunnions H may be accomplished simultaneously with one hand of the ,op-

, erator, the levers 29 are Aconnected by means of the bar 40 so that a pull upon this bar `or upon one of the levers 29 will serve to move both thereof and release both trunnions Il with a single effort. `The levers 29 are also provided at their upper ends with openings il so that, if

desired, a releasing cable may be connected. thereto and the levers 29 moved by a pull upon this cable.

The operation of our device will now be described. When the element I0 is in position, .the parts are disposed as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and it will be, noted that the latch surface 30 is in close engagement with the longer end of the yoke 23 so as to urgethe yoke in a clockwise direction about its pivot 24 and hold the trunnion securely in place. It will also be seen that the nose 33 of the arm 29a is not restrained by the tooth 3l! of 'pawl 36, so that the spring 3i tends to move the arm 23a upwardly. If it is desired to remove the element l0 from the mounting, levers 23 are swung in a clockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the nose 33 of arm 29EL is engaged below the tooth 35 on pawl 36 and retained in this posi- Ition as the'spring 38 urges the pawl toward the arm 29a. The operator may thereupon release the lever 29 and the ,parts will be retained in this position, leaving both hands of the operator free. it will also be understood that as the levers are secured together by the member 4), -both of these levers will be movedy simultaneously and both trunnionswill be free for removal from their sockets. f

The element may now be lifted Vfrom its support and the trunnions removed'from the sockets. During this operation, the yoke 23 is moved from the position shown n'Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig.

5. During this movemenuthe longer arm of the yoke will'strike the upper end of the pawl 36 and move this pawl to the right as shown in' Figs. 4 and 5 against the pressure of spring 38, thus releasing the nose 33 of the arm 29a from the tooth 35 of the pawl. The spring 3| will iinmediately force the arm 23a upwardly until the nose 33 is engaged by the tooth 34 of pawl 36. While the engagement of the upper end of the pawl by the longer arm of the yoke 23 will move the pawl suiciently to disengage the tooth '35 from the arm 29a, the yoke will be allowed to pass beyond the pawl 36 while the latter is still in position for the tooth 34 to engage the nose 33. Therefore, when the element has (been removed, the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l5, in which thearm 29% is held in position by the' tooth 34 of pawl 36 and the yoke 23 has been moved toa substantially horizontal or open position shown in Fig. 5. In this position it will be seen that the lug 21 on the yoke 23 has been received in the recess 26 formed in the spring 25, so that the yoke will be retained in this position. It may also be noted that the endsof the yoke now lie between vportions of the elements IB and Il so that the ,yoke will be protected from damage at this time and will .also be in position to receive the trunnions ll when it is desired to replace the element in the mounting.

When replacing the element, the trunnionsare inserted between the legs of the yoke 23 when the latter is in position shown in Fig. 5 and the weight of the element will tendto rotate'the yoke `23 and move the trunnions downwardlynand to sion of yspring 3| as shown in Fig. 6, thus `allow.-

ing the yoke to pass the portion l2l and be again engaged by the latch surface 30. Assoon as the yoke passes the portion 42, the arm 29a willbe ymoved upwardly by the spring 3| and the engagement of the latch surface 30, with the longer end -of the yoke, will cam or urge the `latter in a clockwise. direction, to restore the parts -to the position shown in Fig. 11.

' The fulcrum studs which we employ for-pivotally mounting the element I in the standards of the frame are shown more particularly in Figs. '7, 8, and 9, and each consists of an outer trunnion or bearing portion Il and an inner threaded end 44 designed to be threadedly engaged within an opening 45 in one of a pair of oppositely disposed bosses 4E provided on the element l 0, thus securing the stud to the element.

Each of these studs is provided intermediate the bearing portion Il and the threaded end 44 with an outwardly projecting flange 41, this flange being provided with wrench faces 48 to enable the stud to be screwed into place and also provided with an annular recess 49 in its face which is directed toward the boss 46 so that the flange projects outwardly from the body of the stud at a point substantially at the base of the threaded portion 44. This recess, as will be seen from Fig. 7, is designed to snugly and tightly receive the boss 46 therein, so that the bottom of the recess will fit closely against the end surface of the boss.

Preferably, the parts are so proportioned that, when the stud is threaded into place in the boss 46, the flange will be slightly sprung by the entry of the end of the boss into the recess 49, thus locking the two members together and also providing for the weight of the element l0 to be removed to a considerable extent from the threads 44 and toV be carried by the liange. This provides a secure and rigid connection between the studs and the element i0 which would not be provided by a threaded connection alone and prevents any play between the parts or deflection of the threaded portion 44 in the openings in the bosses and maintains the bearing portions or trunnions Il in accurate alignment.

Also, it will be noted that the anges 41 are chamfered or beveled at their outer edges as shown at 5U and that the outside faces of these flanges fit tightly against the inner surfaces of the portions i1 of the standards. The provision of the beveled portions 50 of the anges 41 enables easy insertion of the element i0, after the fulcrum studs have been secured thereto, between the standards, as these beveled edges tend to guide the studs into position.

It will be apparent that, with the illustrated construction, the fulcrum studs are not only tightly secured to the element l0 but the rear faces of the flanges also fit snugly against the inner surfaces of the standards and that, notwithstanding this, the element may be easily positioned between the standards by reason of the beveled or chamfered surfaces 5U. Moreover, the connection between the studs and the element I0 is such that the trunnions will be maintained in alignment and a secure and rigid connection maintained between the studs and the bosses 46.

It will be apparent that we have provided a pivotal mounting having a rigid frame of multiply construction and at the same time being re1- atively light in weight, and it will also be apparent that the operating parts liable to damage are housed between two plies or elements of the supporting standards so as to be protected thereby. Also, it will be apparent that the element mounted between the standards may be removed with facility notwithstanding the fact that it is held securely in place and that the unlocking of the parts may be effected with little eiort on the part of the operator and that these parts will be held automatically in unlocked position to permit both hands of the operator to be employed in lifting the element from the standards.

It will be obvious that the weight of the supported element is carried by the two spaced members of each standard between which members the locking mechanism is housed, thus providing a particularly advantageous structure in that shearing forces on the trunnions are largely avoided and a more rigid support is provided. While the frame is shown as two-ply construction, additional plies may be employed if desired and the frame members may be made of any suitable material, metal or otherwise. Also, the particular type oi trunnion members or fulcrum studs employed provide support against the shearing action under sharp heavy blows and act as centering elements to `guide/the supported member into place between the standards.

While we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown but is capable of modication and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

l. A mounting for a pivotally supported member comprising spaced standards having trunnion receiving slots opening through the edges thereof, a retaining element movably mounted adjacent each slot and adapted to be moved across said slot to close the latter and hold the trunnion therein, said element also being movable to an inoperative position in which said slot is opened, means for releasably holding said element in its inoperative position, said element comprising a yoke pivoted above the slot and having spaced legs to embrace a trunnion, means engaging a part of said yoke to hold it in a position operative to close said slot, and a manually operable member to move said holding means to inoperative position.

2. A mounting for a pivotally supported member, comprising spaced standards having trunnion receiving slots opening through the edges thereof, a retaining element movably mounted` adjacent each slot and adapted to be moved across said slot to close the latter and hold the trunnion therein, said element also being movable to an inoperative position in which said slot is opened, means for releasably holding said element in its inoperative position, said element comprising a yoke pivoted above the slot and having spaced legs to embrace a trunnion, means engaging a part of said yoke to hold it in a position operative to close said slot, a manually operable member to move said holding means to its inoperative position, means to retain said holding means in such position, and means actuated by said yoke to release said retaining means.

3. A mounting for a pivotally supported member having laterally directed trunnions on the sides thereof, said mounting comprising spaced standards having trunnion receiving slots opening through the edges thereof, a yoke pivoted to each standard adjacent the slot therein and having spaced legs adapted to receive one of the trunnions therebetween, a latch member carried by the standard having a part to engage a leg of said yoke and hold the latter in closed position, and a pawl having a tooth to engage said latch and hold it in an inoperative position out of engagement with the leg of the yoke.

4. A mounting for a pivotally supported member having laterally directed trunnions on the sides therof, said mounting comprising spaced standards having trunnion receiving slots opening kthrough the edges thereof, a yoke pivoted to each of said last-named means, and means effecteach standard adjacent the slot therein and ha'ving simultaneous operation of both said actuating spaced legs'adapted to receive one of te ing means.v

trunnions therebetween, means on each .standard GEORGE H. KENDALL.

to engage the yoke therein and retain it in posi- ,f5 SAMUEL OXHANDLER tion to hold the associated trunnion in the slot HERBERT W. BROOKS.

in `the standard, actuating means to disengage 

